Monday, September 11

Start-up's and The Money Maker

I had a heated discussion with a friend last week who contested that I was "just in it for the money"...

He couldn't understand that green back wasn't and isn't the primary motivator. Sure, hands up, it's damned important when feeding the family. But in the developed world many of us are generally not fighting to feed hand-to-mouth each day - so it's not the thing that gets us up in the morning. At least, that's my feeling.

If it was the main motivator for entreprenuers, I don't think most would stomach stepping out of well paid salaries to do something. And that's just it, to do something...something good, something new, something meaningful, something better.

Seth Godin's has a good take on this subject...

I think the reason is pretty obvious: when you try to make a profit from your innovation, you stop innovating too soon. You take the short payout because it's too hard to stick around for the later one.